Conditions at the Domaine were essentially the same as those described in my general overview of the vintage.
Harvest dates were as follows:
4 September: Corton
6 and 7 September: La Tâche
8 September (morning): Romanée-Conti
8 (afternoon) and 10 September (pause for rain on 9 September): Richebourg
10 and 11 September: Romanée-Saint-Vivant
12 September: Grands-Echézeaux
13 September: Echézeaux
15 September (pause for rain on 14 September): Montrachet
Yields were generous for the Domaine (but the average vine age of 50 years and good pruning practices act as a limit against runaway yields). Overall production is twice that of 2016, but recall that both Echézeaux and Grands-Echézeaux were severely affected by the frosts (90% loss) in 2016. Due to the excellent health of the grapes, use of whole clusters is high, and some cuvées, such as Romanée-Conti are essentially 100% whole cluster.
Malo-lactic fermentations were normal, occurring in December and January.
Aubert de Villaine sees the vintage as one emphasizing the vegetal (in a positive sense) and floral aspects.
Unsurprisingly, there are great wines here for those who have the means and access to them.
2017 Corton
The aromas here are animal and stones. The mouth is expressive with red fruits and there is roundness, good acidity, and good structure. (93-96)
2017 Echézeaux
The nose of the Echézeaux is spicy and stony. The mouth shows spicy dark fruits with Echézeaux sensuality, concentration, length, and some minerality. (95-97)
2017 Grands-Echézeaux
The Grands-Echézeaux shows some reductive aromas, but also classic black licorice. The licorice continues in the mouth, which is intense, deep, and penetrating. There is good structure here. Attractive soy notes on the finish. This may be the best Grands-Echézeaux, an under-appreciated grand cru (in part due to its rarity), in quite some time. (96-98)
2017 Romanée-Saint-Vivant
The Romanée-Saint-Vivant has typical sensuality to go with great purity and complexity. The fruit combinations are constantly changing, and so not possible to describe for this tasting. (96-98)
2017 Richebourg
Each year’s tasting reveals a marvelous comparison between the Romanée-Saint-Vivant and the Richebourg, both so close and so typical of their terroirs, but with significant differences as wine. And yet, this year seems to be an inversion with the RSV being more exotic and the Richebourg more sensual, at least on this tasting. This wine has rich dark fruit aromas. The mouth features sappy dark fruits with length in the mouth, sensuality, and purity. Aubert thinks that despite the finesse of both the RSV and the Richebourg, they will age well, and it’s hard to disagree. (96-98)
2017 La Tâche
Being the first of the Vosne/Flagey vineyards harvested, Aubert de Villaine expressed concern that this wine might lack just a touch of maturity, but I found nothing of the sort. The nose is spiced and has red fruits. The mouth is intense, dense, deep, and concentrated, with dark fruits, La Tâche spices, and overall elegance. (97-99)
2017 Romanée-Conti
Last, the Romanée-Conti has spicy dark fruit aromas. The mouth is concentrated and smooth with length, good minerality, and finesse. This wine fits the classic Romanée-Conti description of speheric: everything perfectly in harmony, nothing standing out or dominating the rest. (97-99)